Ernie Hudson feared that 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' would never happen.

The 75-year-old star reprises the role of Winston Zeddemore in the latest movie in the 'Ghostbusters' franchise but admits that he suspected it would never reach the screen following a gap of more than three decades since 'Ghostbusters II'.

Ernie told Yahoo! Movies UK: "For the past 30 years they've been talking about doing another one but it never seemed to happen. They'd announce I'm in it but nobody would've talked to me about it so I lost faith it would ever really happen."

He admitted that years of false hope meant he had doubts about the new project – which has been directed by Jason Reitman, the son of original 'Ghostbusters' director Ivan Reitman.

Ernie explained: "Then I got a call from Jason, and I was still a little bit sceptical. It wasn't until we got on set that I thought: 'Okay, we're really doing this.'"

The star was initially meant to have a larger role in the original 1984 'Ghostbusters' film until last-minute script tweaks and admits it was "comforting" to settle the issue in the new blockbuster.

The 'Miss Congeniality' actor explained: "It's almost comforting.

"This movie has been such a big part of my life for almost 40 years. It's something I've never been able to get away from – not that I've tried – but the fans have always kept Winston at the forefront and really connected to him."

Ernie continued: "To be on the set and to see the guys in the jumpsuits, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and to meet this new cast, I realised this is something that's going to move into the future. It's nice to have it finally resolved."